3 min readNew DelhiMar 13, 2026 08:31 PM IST
The government said Friday that two Indians were killed and 10 injured during an attack in Sohar city in Oman.
This raised the death toll of Indians to five in the war raging in West Asia – three seafarers died earlier. There are about one crore Indians living and working in West Asia.
The Oman News Agency (ONA) said, “A security source has reported the downing of two drones in Sohar Governorate. One of the drones fell in the Al Awahi Industrial Area, resulting in the tragic death of two expatriates and several injuries.” The second drone fell in an open area, where no injuries or material losses were recorded. “Competent authorities are currently on-site handling both incidents and have launched a formal investigation into the circumstances,” it said.
Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary, in charge of the Gulf division in the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “I wish to share with all of you an incident which has happened in Sohar city in Muscat today. There was an attack, and in this incident, two Indian nationals have died. We express our deepest condolences to their families.”
“Of the 11 injured, 10 are Indians. Out of them, 5 have been discharged after receiving treatment, and 5 others are receiving treatment in local hospitals. None of them are reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the company concerned and local authorities, and is rendering all assistance,” he said.
Earlier, three Indian nationals were killed and at least one person was reported missing. Officials said all four Indian nationals were part of crew on board merchant ships plying in the area.
“Our embassies in Oman and Iraq and our consulate in Dubai are working with local authorities to have their mortal remains transported back to India at the earliest,” officials said.
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On Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a phone conversation with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, raised the issue of movement of maritime traffic. “The safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India’s top priorities,” he said.
A day earlier, Delhi had “deplored” the attack by suspected Iranian fighters on an India-bound ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The third Indian seafarer to die was a crew member of a US-owned oil tanker. He was killed after the vessel came under attack in the waters near Iraq’s Basra.
The Indian embassy in Iraq said 15 other Indian crew members of the ship were evacuated. “On March 11, 2026, a US-owned crude oil tanker, Safesea Vishnu, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was attacked near Basra, Iraq, in which one Indian crew member unfortunately lost his life,” the Indian embassy in Iraq said on social media. “The remaining 15 Indian crew have since been evacuated to a safe place,” it said.
